Oral Histories

THE ARTHUR R. KRAVITZ AWARD SERIES

Conversations with Kravitz Award recipients – BPSI Members who have provided noteworthy psychoanalytically-informed service to the broader community.

Gil Noam, EdD, Dr. Habil, The Arthur R. Kravitz Award Recipient of 2016, talk about his work with children and educators in an interview to Ann Epstein, MD, recorded on Oct 29, 2021.
Ayelet Barkai, MD and Ruth Drasin, PhD, The Arthur R. Kravitz Award Recipients of 2021, talk about their work co-directing the Boston chapter of the national organization A Home Within in an interview to Patricia Potter, MD, recorded on Oct 1, 2021.
Deborah Choate, MD and Karen Melikian, PhD, The Arthur R. Kravitz Award Recipients of 2015 and 2017, talk about their community work in a video interview recorded on Aug 20, 2021.
Michael Grodin, MD, The Arthur R. Kravitz Award Recipient of 2014, talks about his work in the field of human rights and medical ethics in an interview to James Frosch, MD. Recorded on Sep 25, 2020.
Sarah Birss, MD, and Ann Epstein, MD, the award recipients of 2011, talk about their work at the Infant Parent Training Institute at JF&CS of Greater Boston. Recorded on January 31, 2020.
Alexandra Murray Harrison, MD, the award recipient of 2013, was interviewed by Ellen Golding, PhD about her work with mental health professionals and caregivers in orphanages in developed countries. Recorded on December 20, 2019.
Paola M. Contreras, PsyD, the award recipient of 2019, was interviewed by Jane Keat, PsyD, about her work to help the victims of human trafficking. Recorded on October 11, 2019.
Anna Ornstein, MD, the award recipient of 2018, was interviewed by Steven Varga-Golovcsenko, MD about her dedication to teaching people about Holocaust and the dangers of intolerance. Recorded on August 21, 2019.
Judy Yanof, MD, the award recipient of 2012, was interviewed by Dan Jacobs, MD about her efforts to provide programs for early childhood education workers. Recorded on March 22, 2019.
Roberta Apfel, MD, and Bennett Simon, MD, the award recipients of 2009, were interviewed by Ann Katz, EdD, about their work with children in war and conflict. Recorded on May 8, 2018.

THE VOICES OF EXPERIENCE SERIES

BPSI members talk about their life, work, and important contributions

Conversations about BPSI’s history, including in these oral histories, can be moving and inspiring.  BPSI is pleased to create a space where members’ voices and memories can be heard.  At times, we acknowledge that such conversations can also bring up painful topics and lead to difficult conversations.  BPSI is committed to having these difficult discussions, in the belief that acknowledging our past has value for our community and our field.

We also acknowledge the need to respect the privacy of current and former BPSI members and their current and former patients, as well as confidentiality of BPSI committee processes that in some cases may have involved them.  We are committed to finding ongoing ways to address and accommodate these sometimes conflicting priorities.

Views and opinions expressed in the oral history interviews are solely those of the interviewers and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the views of BPSI or its members.

Carol Bonner, MSW, MBA, EdD, discusses her career in social work and educational administration, growing up Black in Newton, Massachusetts, and her role as current member of the BPSI Board of Trustees. She also shares memories and reflection about her mother, Frances J. Bonner, a much-loved psychiatrist who trained at BPSI and became a Training and Supervising Analyst at BPSI and PINE. Interviewed by John Martin-Joy, MD, on September 28, 2025.
Voice of Experience Interview Title Slide Judy Kantrowitz, PhD, talks with John Martin-Joy, MD about her career, her research on the patient-analyst match, and her training at BPSI, where she was the first psychologist to complete full clinical training. She discusses painful interactions with a supervisor and the BPSI Students Committee during an era when boundary violations were occurring and her later efforts to improve the culture in the institute. E-mail interview conducted February 2024-September 2025.
Orlando B. Lightfoot, MD, in Part 1 of this two-part interview, talks with John Martin-Joy, MD about race and psychiatry, including growing up Black in Cleveland and his education at Fisk University and Meharry Medical College in Nashville. Recorded on August 18, 2025
Orlando B. Lightfoot, MD, in Part 2 of his interview with John Martin-Joy, MD, reviews his psychiatric training and work as a community psychiatrist and administrator as well as the benefits of psychoanalytic training at BPSI. Recorded on August 19, 2025.
Voice of Experience Interview Title Slide Cary Friedman,MD, president-elect of BPSI and former chair of the Education Division, talks with John Martin-Joy,MD, about his experiences as the second openly gay psychoanalytic candidate at BPSI, his career at BPSI, and our field’s changing views of homosexuality over time. Interview conducted by e-mail between August and December of 2024.
Jim Frosch, MD talks with Rita Teusch, PhD about his career at BPSI, changes in theory over time, and his evolving approach to clinical psychoanalytic work. Recorded on November 6, 2024.
Jim Herzog, MD and Lora Tessman, PhD talk about their life, work, and important contributions to psychoanalysis. Recorded on Oct 22, 2021.
Ramon Greenberg, MD was interviewed by his colleague, Howard Katz, MD, about his work on dreams and other contributions to psychoanalysis. Recorded on Oct 9, 2020.
Dan H. Buie, MD, talked with his friend and colleague Alan Pollack, MD, about his life and his work with patients. Recorded on Dec 21, 2018.
Ana-María Rizzuto, MD, shared insights about her life and work in her interview with Axel Hoffer, MD, recorded in the BPSI Library on Sep 15, 2017.
Arnold Modell, MD, spoke to Dan Jacobs, MD, about his life and contributions to psychoanalysis. Recorded on June 23, 2017.
Malkah Notman, MD, discussed women in psychoanalysis, their experiences as candidates, members and clinicians with Dan Jacobs, MD. Recorded on February 10, 2017.